opening small, subovate, in a line with the angle of the mouth, and about two
lines behind it. Plates of upper lip ten, the last very small, and situated
immediately under the eye, considerably in front of the angle of the mouth ;
plates of lower lip ten, the four last excessively small. Rostral plate five
sided ; mental plate subtriangular ; neck narrower than the hind-head ; body
subcylindrical ; extremities rather long and moderately robust. Toes rather
slender, and towards and at the point slightly enlarged, the outermost and
innermost of the fore feet equal in length, the second and fourth rather
longer, the third longest, the middle one of the hinder foot rather longer
than the other four, which are of equal length. The point of each toe is
superiorly covered by a large flat scale, like a nail, and inferiorly by four
transverse angular cuticular folds, the angle equidistant from each extremity.
The remainder of the under surface, behind these folds, is coated with three
longitudinal rows of scales, those of the middle row the largest. All the toes
clawless. The scales of the head are small and conical, or three sided, and
are. slightly separated from each other by the intervention of a few minute
granular scales. The back and sides are covered with scales of a like
description, but the tubercular ones especially on the back are much larger
and many of them distinctly three sided, the anterior side generally very sharp
or keeled. The small ones, which intervene between the larger ones, vary
in size, and have more or less conical or three sided; many of the tubercles on
the sides are perfectly conical and ribbed longitudinally. Scales on the under
surface of the head and body, and on the inner surface of extremities small,
equal in size, and subconical; on the outer surface of the extremities conical,
large near the body, smaller towards the toes, and everywhere as on the back
and head, slightly separated from each other by the intervention of small
granular scales. The natural tail, there is reason to believe, is surrounded
with rings of conical tubercles, and four such tubercles occur in a longitudinal
row on each of its sides, immediately behind the base of the hinder
extremity. Length from nose to base of tail inches.
Inhabits the interior of Southern Africa. The specimen I possess is the only one I have
yet seen.
R e p t il ia :— P l a t e 7 S |# F ig . 3.
H. superne iubro-brunneus, lineis duabus longitudinalibus subaurantiis, maculisque parvis subflavis
variegatus; subtus flavo-aibus; digito interno pedis singuli parvissimo.
Longitudg e nasi apice ad basin eaudse 1 uric. 3 lin.; caudee 1J unc.
Coi.oriijB The upper and lateral parts of the head, the back, the sides, the
outer surface of the extremities, and the upper and lateral parts of the tail,
either light brownish red, or a tint between wood-brown and sienna-yellow.
The variegations are two longitudinal pale reddish orange lines, and some
small pale cream-yellow spots; the former extend, one on each side of the
back, from the eye to nearly the commencement of the last third of the tail;
the latter are thinly scattered on the back and tail between the lines, also on
the outer surface of the extremities. The under parts of the head, the
body, the tail, and the inner surface of the extremities, pale cream-yellow or
straw-yellow. In light-coloured individuals, the yellow line is frequently
edged above and below with a pale liver-brown line. Eyes, greenish yellow
with a bronze lustre.
F o rm , &c.—Figure slender; body somewhat four-sided, laterally rather
protuberant, and longitudinally arched; tail cylindrical, and tapered from
base to apex, the latter slender and pointed. Head four-sided, the hind-
head of the same width as the neck, sides perpendicular and anteriorly
converge slightly to the nose; the latter narrow and rounded ; upper surface
of head between eyes concave; rostral canthus distinct; nostrils situated
close to nose, small, and edged above by the nasal plate, below by the first
labial, and behind by two narrow scales. Eyes rather large; pupil circular;
no eyelid to the outer third of the eye; external ear opening small, circular,
smooth, and in a line with the angle of the mouth. Extremities slender;
toes of the fore feet five, the innermost rudimentary, and close to the base of
the second, the third and outermost toes of the same length, the fourth